


when Icarus fell it was spring

by llwydion



Series: vinegar and cold water for removing bloodstains (KHR works) [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: AU ring battles, Canonical major character death, Gen, and hello TYL!Xanxus and Tsuna, bad timing boys, someone has the bright idea of using the 10-year bazooka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 12:52:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14671500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llwydion/pseuds/llwydion
Summary: An alternate, less bloody way to end the Ring Battles ends up revealing a bit more of the future than anyone really wanted to know. Also, this was definitely not less bloody.





	when Icarus fell it was spring

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Trading Places](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9074698) by [FallenQueen2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenQueen2/pseuds/FallenQueen2). 



> title from the poem "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" by William Carlos Williams

“Say, why don’t we use the bazooka? That way we settle this without bloodshed, and tada! Problem solved. Haha.”

The others turn to Takeshi with varying looks of disbelief and respect for his surprisingly easy solution. He grins.

The Varia wore various looks of displeasure, but Xanxus waved them down.

“Interesting. And if not, at least you all can have a fight with future them. We agree to these terms.”

The Cervello appear.

“This is an acceptable substitute for the series of matches we have planned, and we, the Cervello, agree to honor the outcome of this match as the outcome of the succession battles.”

“Dame-Tsuna, you should accept that offer.”

Tsuna nods uncertainly. “Alright, I guess.”

“If both your chosen candidates can stand here? We have set up the viewing box once more, and you are welcome to move in and out of them as your turn comes.”

Xanxus strides out into the box. Tsuna scrambles after him.

“The Great Lambo-sama demands grape candy in exchange for using his best toy!”

“Shut up, cow brat! This is an important moment for the Tenth!”

Xanxus nods at the Cervello, and Tsuna gulps. Then the bazooka shell hits him, pink smoke envelops him, and he is lying on the soft grass of a forest floor, looking up at the blue sky above him.

Around him, a pool of blood, and a shocked, older Gokudera staring at him.

“Tenth?”

“Hiee!”

* * *

Xanxus finds himself in the throne room of some musty old castle. He’s alone, though there are clear signs of other humans living here. The plate of medium-rare steak steaming in front of him, for example.

Or the opened letter lying by it.

He picks it up and begins reading. By the end, he pulls out one of his trusty guns and shoots the wall.

“VOI, what’s wrong with you? We fixed these walls just two hours ago!”

Xanxus looks up, and sees his older second-in-command walk in and stop.

“What the fuck is going on? Why am I here? What does this letter mean, Sawada Tsunayoshi is the Decimo? That weak, pasty brat? And what does it mean, the Japan branch has been wiped out?”

Squalo sighs. It’s going to be a long day.

* * *

They return to their present much quieter than before. Tsuna wears a look of shell-shocked disbelief, and Xanxus is hovering between the extremes of blasting the shit out of the weak brat or smuggling him to the Varia HQ to train him into a much stronger and ruthless leader.

What they return to is not promising. Lambo is openly crying, Takeshi’s mouth is set in a grim line, Gokudera is kneeling by the box he appeared back in (much like his older self was kneeling by that pool of blood), Ryohei is the quietest anyone has ever seen him, and Reborn is nowhere to be seen. The Varia are no better; trained killers that they are, some of them are wearing open looks of shock, and Bel is nervously chuckling.

“What happened? Why is everyone –”

He doesn’t get much farther before he is enveloped in a warm hug from Gokudera. Lambo jumps off the stands and throws himself into Tsuna’s arms, crying messily all the while. Takeshi makes his way over as well and leans up next to Tsuna, and Tsuna can tell his best friend is shaking. Ryohei walks over, muttering something about “protecting to the extreme”.

The Cervello clear their throats hurriedly. “We proclaim Sawada Tsunayoshi to be the winner of this battle, and of the rings. The screens will now replay the last five minutes.”

Tsuna drags his eyes away from his slowly-dampening shirt and watches as puffs of pink smoke appear where they were standing.

When the smoke clears, there is one man, lying on the ground, and the other quickly rushes over.

“Oi, you brat, don’t you go dying on me now.”

Future Xanxus (because honestly, who else has those ridiculous scars?) drops to his knees next to a prone, older Tsunayoshi, who is dressed in a sharp suit and bleeding heavily from his chest, as evidenced by the quickly-blossoming spot of red on his white shirt.

“Tenth!” Gokudera flies out of the stands and approaches the two. Xanxus glares at him for a minute before his eyes _soften_ (of all things, what? What is going on?) and he clicks his tongue irritably.

“Here. Put pressure on the wound, but not too much. If he groans, you’re hurting him, so ease up. Lussuria! Boxer brat! Get over here, now.”

The two leap to their feet and hurry over. They try their best to heal up the wound, but everyone can tell that Tsuna is losing blood too quickly.

The Cervello look at the two time travelers.

“Which one of you inherits the ring?”

Xanxus snarls. “There’s no time for that, you pink bitches. Now shut up and let us work.”

Tsuna coughs wetly, and it is not a pleasant sound. Reborn walks over and places a small hand on his student’s head.

“What is it, Dame-Tsuna?”

The man on the ground weakly whispers something too quietly for the microphones to catch, and Reborn nods. His pacifier and hand glow a pale yellow, and older Tsuna breathes a sigh of relief before his eyes go glassy and his body falls limp.

“Tenth? Tenth!”

Reborn confers with the Cervello, and they nod.

Then two puffs of pink smoke, and their time travelers are gone.

* * *

“Please, Reborn, make sure my younger self doesn’t make the same mistakes I do. Please make him strong, stronger than I ever could have been. And Reborn? Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> heh


End file.
